Overeating and exercise
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jhoaglan87
Posts: 9 Member
So I've found that on days that I do not exercise, I overeat. This is because I am set a sedentary and eat back my exercise calories. But I cannot exercise everyday I have school (I am a senior in high school) and work as well, and although I could do cardio at the end of the day it would just make me stay awake late and then I'm way too tired at work. I'm not sure what to do. The last 2 days that I did not exercise (yesterday and a couple days before) I ended up eating way over my calories.
I weigh 155 and I'm 5'4 and set at 1300 calories.
If anyone has any tips that'd be great.
I weigh 155 and I'm 5'4 and set at 1300 calories.
If anyone has any tips that'd be great.
0
Replies
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Why not make your calorie allowance over a week, so that way you can balance out on the days you work out. Lots of people on here seem to do that, then there is no guilt about appearing to overeat, but actually your weekly numbers are at a deficit, remember at 1300 cals you are probably already eating at a deficit anyway. Be kinder to yourself.
Are you still losing weight? x 0 -
If you open your diary, that might help. You can eat more filling foods to feel full on those 1300 calories.0
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A couple ideas....
TDEE less a percent. TDEE is your maintenance....includes all the exercise you plan to do. This number is an average across the week. So you don't have the up / down of exercise vs. rest days. But you have to do the planned exercise. Don't log exercise into MFP (or just memo it in). Many people like having the same calories every day.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Some form of zig-zag diet. Take the Scooby's number with your "calorie cut." If you like having higher/lower days you can create a couple higher calorie days (ie: weekend). The remaining calories (for the week) are spread out over the other days. If you know you have a higher calorie day (say tomorrow)....you may be less likely to overeat today. MFP is not designed for this, but you can just average things to get a weekly deficit.
1300 is quite low for someone still in their teens. It's likely you can eat more and still lose....albeit more slowly. Pick something you can live with for awhile.0 -
pinkiezoom wrote: »Why not make your calorie allowance over a week, so that way you can balance out on the days you work out. Lots of people on here seem to do that, then there is no guilt about appearing to overeat, but actually your weekly numbers are at a deficit, remember at 1300 cals you are probably already eating at a deficit anyway. Be kinder to yourself. Are you still losing weight? x
So Maybe make it 1500 for days that I don't work out?
I just want to be sure that I will still be losing if I up my calories.
I know it will still be under my maintenance, but my maintenance calories are only 1700, so eating at 1500 only gives me a 200 calorie deficit..0 -
If 200 is the deficit you can have and still live your life, then it sounds like 200 it is.0
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A couple ideas....
TDEE less a percent. TDEE is your maintenance....includes all the exercise you plan to do. This number is an average across the week. So you don't have the up / down of exercise vs. rest days. But you have to do the planned exercise. Don't log exercise into MFP (or just memo it in). Many people like having the same calories every day.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Some form of zig-zag diet. Take the Scooby's number with your "calorie cut." If you like having higher/lower days you can create a couple higher calorie days (ie: weekend). The remaining calories (for the week) are spread out over the other days. If you know you have a higher calorie day (say tomorrow)....you may be less likely to overeat today. MFP is not designed for this, but you can just average things to get a weekly deficit.
1300 is quite low for someone still in their teens. It's likely you can eat more and still lose....albeit more slowly. Pick something you can live with for awhile.
Yes I've heard of this!
But until now I thought I could live with 1300.
But it sounds good I will give it a try.
Thanks so much to everyone for replying.
Do you have any suggestions on the calorie amounts?0 -
Do TDEE as suggested above which will average out your calories. It only works if you keep your side of the bargain and do the exercise.0
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If you open your diary, that might help. You can eat more filling foods to feel full on those 1300 calories.
I use myfitnesspal half the time and loseit the other half haha. I usually just quick add calories but I didn't think about this. I am a vegetarian so there are vegetables in my diet already but I agree I could pick better foods, or maybe cut out coffee or something because the creamer probably takes up too many calories.0 -
jhoaglan87 wrote: »A couple ideas....
TDEE less a percent. TDEE is your maintenance....includes all the exercise you plan to do. This number is an average across the week. So you don't have the up / down of exercise vs. rest days. But you have to do the planned exercise. Don't log exercise into MFP (or just memo it in). Many people like having the same calories every day.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Some form of zig-zag diet. Take the Scooby's number with your "calorie cut." If you like having higher/lower days you can create a couple higher calorie days (ie: weekend). The remaining calories (for the week) are spread out over the other days. If you know you have a higher calorie day (say tomorrow)....you may be less likely to overeat today. MFP is not designed for this, but you can just average things to get a weekly deficit.
1300 is quite low for someone still in their teens. It's likely you can eat more and still lose....albeit more slowly. Pick something you can live with for awhile.
Yes I've heard of this!
But until now I thought I could live with 1300.
But it sounds good I will give it a try.
Thanks so much to everyone for replying.
Do you have any suggestions on the calorie amounts?
Plug your data into Scooby's - age, height, weight will all make a difference.
TDEE (maintenance with exercise) is a good number to know.
Example... Let's say your TDEE is 2,300. A 3500 weekly deficit is 1 pound. You could eat maintenance 2 days (2300) and spread your desired deficit over the remaining 5 days (3500/5=700) or 2300-700=1,600.....whatever you can live with.0 -
jhoaglan87 wrote: »A couple ideas....
TDEE less a percent. TDEE is your maintenance....includes all the exercise you plan to do. This number is an average across the week. So you don't have the up / down of exercise vs. rest days. But you have to do the planned exercise. Don't log exercise into MFP (or just memo it in). Many people like having the same calories every day.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Some form of zig-zag diet. Take the Scooby's number with your "calorie cut." If you like having higher/lower days you can create a couple higher calorie days (ie: weekend). The remaining calories (for the week) are spread out over the other days. If you know you have a higher calorie day (say tomorrow)....you may be less likely to overeat today. MFP is not designed for this, but you can just average things to get a weekly deficit.
1300 is quite low for someone still in their teens. It's likely you can eat more and still lose....albeit more slowly. Pick something you can live with for awhile.
Yes I've heard of this!
But until now I thought I could live with 1300.
But it sounds good I will give it a try.
Thanks so much to everyone for replying.
Do you have any suggestions on the calorie amounts?
Plug your data into Scooby's - age, height, weight will all make a difference.
TDEE (maintenance with exercise) is a good number to know.
Example....a 3500 deficit is 1 pound a week. You could eat maintenance 2 days and spread your desired deficit over the remaining 5 days (3500/5=700).....whatever you can live with.
Oh okay, I will try it. Thanks!0 -
jhoaglan87 wrote: »So I've found that on days that I do not exercise, I overeat. This is because I am set a sedentary and eat back my exercise calories. But I cannot exercise everyday I have school (I am a senior in high school) and work as well, and although I could do cardio at the end of the day it would just make me stay awake late and then I'm way too tired at work. I'm not sure what to do. The last 2 days that I did not exercise (yesterday and a couple days before) I ended up eating way over my calories.
I weigh 155 and I'm 5'4 and set at 1300 calories.
If anyone has any tips that'd be great.
Yes, don't eat back exercise calories on days you don't do any exercise on. Not even sure how you're getting exercise calories on days you don't do any.
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Also I just wanted to add that I am 19 and 149 pounds. If I was sedentary my maintenance would be 1817 so I don't think your maintenance is 1700! I definitely agree with everyone else, looking at your weekly deficit sounds better for you rather than your daily deficit. 0
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You go to high school and to a job? I doubt you are sedentary. I was fairly inactive in high school and I doubt I was sedentary... I walked to and from (though maybe 7 minutes each way at a good clip), I walked every, what, hour, to get to the next class, did whatever at lunch time, milled about a bit after school, did things in the evenings with friends, etc. I think that sedentary is <5k steps in a day, and I bet as a teenager that I took more, even though I would not have considered myself an active person.
If you are sedentary, a calculator I just ran put your maintenance at 1762. For lightly active, it gives 2019. (Every calculator is an estimate, of course.)
If you feel you need to eat a bit more to be able to do schoolwork, work, and so on, on rest days, then you may very well need to eat a bit more. And if you haven't already been doing this for at least a couple months, you have no idea whether that 1700 estimate is correct. Maybe it's more like 1800, or 1900, or 2000, or 2100. Worst case: going up 200 calories on rest days drops your deficit to 200 calories... on those days only... and you function well. Best case: You function well, and your deficit is greater than 200 calories on rest days (and even more on active days).
I also like the suggestions of trying TDEE (and/or looking at your deficit as a weekly thing) and looking at food choices. But I just wanted to point out that your numbers may be wrong, so don't base too many decisions on them just yet. (Example, trying to do schoolwork and work while feeling crummy, because you're afraid to eat more. Try eating more when you need to, see how you do in a month or two.)
Another option? Look up bedtime yoga routines, or light yoga routines. I find yoga helps me sleep! (Just don't go for invigorating types, like morning, lunch break, etc.) Or go for a walk. You could probably find a way to burn 200 extra walking calories in your day, with 1-2 walks or a few changes in your daily routine.0 -
scottacular wrote: »jhoaglan87 wrote: »So I've found that on days that I do not exercise, I overeat. This is because I am set a sedentary and eat back my exercise calories. But I cannot exercise everyday I have school (I am a senior in high school) and work as well, and although I could do cardio at the end of the day it would just make me stay awake late and then I'm way too tired at work. I'm not sure what to do. The last 2 days that I did not exercise (yesterday and a couple days before) I ended up eating way over my calories.
I weigh 155 and I'm 5'4 and set at 1300 calories.
If anyone has any tips that'd be great.
Yes, don't eat back exercise calories on days you don't do any exercise on. Not even sure how you're getting exercise calories on days you don't do any.
I am obviously not eating back exercise calories I don't do exercise on haha. I am hungrier on days that I don't do exercise and tend to eat more than my allowed calories because I can't eat any exercise calories back. That is the issue0 -
futuremanda wrote: »You go to high school and to a job? I doubt you are sedentary. I was fairly inactive in high school and I doubt I was sedentary... I walked to and from (though maybe 7 minutes each way at a good clip), I walked every, what, hour, to get to the next class, did whatever at lunch time, milled about a bit after school, did things in the evenings with friends, etc. I think that sedentary is <5k steps in a day, and I bet as a teenager that I took more, even though I would not have considered myself an active person.
If you are sedentary, a calculator I just ran put your maintenance at 1762. For lightly active, it gives 2019. (Every calculator is an estimate, of course.)
If you feel you need to eat a bit more to be able to do schoolwork, work, and so on, on rest days, then you may very well need to eat a bit more. And if you haven't already been doing this for at least a couple months, you have no idea whether that 1700 estimate is correct. Maybe it's more like 1800, or 1900, or 2000, or 2100. Worst case: going up 200 calories on rest days drops your deficit to 200 calories... on those days only... and you function well. Best case: You function well, and your deficit is greater than 200 calories on rest days (and even more on active days).
I also like the suggestions of trying TDEE (and/or looking at your deficit as a weekly thing) and looking at food choices. But I just wanted to point out that your numbers may be wrong, so don't base too many decisions on them just yet. (Example, trying to do schoolwork and work while feeling crummy, because you're afraid to eat more. Try eating more when you need to, see how you do in a month or two.)
Another option? Look up bedtime yoga routines, or light yoga routines. I find yoga helps me sleep! (Just don't go for invigorating types, like morning, lunch break, etc.) Or go for a walk. You could probably find a way to burn 200 extra walking calories in your day, with 1-2 walks or a few changes in your daily routine.
I will definitely try the yoga, I just bought a yoga mat not too long ago.
And I see your point about sedentary, I just assumed that no actual physical activity, like purposefully working out meant sedentary and that I could just add the exercise calories back.
I think I will try the tdee method for a month or so and if I don't find it successful I will try only upping calories on rest days. And yes I do think you're right about looking at food choices. I recently found out that the morning star meals that I've been eating for years, assuming that they are healthy, have a very large amount of sodium in them! Thanks for all the advice0 -
alliesgettinghealthy wrote: »Also I just wanted to add that I am 19 and 149 pounds. If I was sedentary my maintenance would be 1817 so I don't think your maintenance is 1700! I definitely agree with everyone else, looking at your weekly deficit sounds better for you rather than your daily deficit.
Hmm must have just been a calculation error or something. Thanks for the advice, I've never tried looking at my weekly deficit instead of daily, I think I'll try it!0 -
Not sure if anyone gets notifications or anything when i post a reply but UPDATE!~
I took a little bit of everyone's advice, I decided to up my calories over-all from 1300 to 1400.
My TDEE said 1500 with exercise, but I felt okay with keeping it between the two.
Although I did exercise today, I have enough calories left to know that even if I didn't I would have enough to get through the day. I went to the store and picked up higher in protein foods that were much better than what I was eating before. Like greek yogurt and fruits. And a few wii-dance games
So all of this worked, It was completely do-able, I still have 759 calories left (I guess for dinner or maybe I'll eat a little less today and more another day), and even if i didn't work out I would still have 460 left. THanks to everyone!0 -
jhoaglan87 wrote: »Not sure if anyone gets notifications or anything when i post a reply but UPDATE!~
I took a little bit of everyone's advice, I decided to up my calories over-all from 1300 to 1400.
My TDEE said 1500 with exercise, but I felt okay with keeping it between the two.
Although I did exercise today, I have enough calories left to know that even if I didn't I would have enough to get through the day. I went to the store and picked up higher in protein foods that were much better than what I was eating before. Like greek yogurt and fruits. And a few wii-dance games
So all of this worked, It was completely do-able, I still have 759 calories left (I guess for dinner or maybe I'll eat a little less today and more another day), and even if i didn't work out I would still have 460 left. THanks to everyone!
Glad that trying some new things is working for you!jhoaglan87 wrote: »And I see your point about sedentary, I just assumed that no actual physical activity, like purposefully working out meant sedentary and that I could just add the exercise calories back.
I see you chose TDEE, which I think is probably a good idea for you -- moves some of your exercise calories onto your rest days, and stabilizes things a bit better. (Though your TDEE would be more than 1500 -- do you mean TDEE - 20%? TDEE is total daily energy expenditure, meaning, BMR + lifestyle + exercise, it's usually a fairly high number, yours would be over 1800 even if you didn't exercise, I'm sure, and I'm guessing it's a lot more. So 1500 might have been the number the TDEE calculator told you to eat, and I think that's probably reasonable.)
Anyway just wanted to clarify:
BMR = calories burned existing (like if you were in a coma) --> this is actually most of your calories!
Lifestyle = calories burned living your life (showering, walking to school, checking email, etc) --> Sedentary means not really moving much. I am guessing most high schoolers are lightly active, especially ones with jobs. You walk between classes, do the odd thing before/after school, do whatever at lunch hour, etc. You likely move more than the average person on a desk job who can't get up much, which is what sedentary is designed for. Mostly sitting. Even standing, if you're doing it enough, can be enough to help bump you up from sedentary.
Exercise = calories burned from workouts
You can be sedentary and exercise a lot, or lightly active or pretty active but not exercise. There's no crossover with MFP's method -- workouts are workouts, and lifestyle is lifestyle. One is a way to describe your movements during a time you're dedicating to moving. The other is to give an estimate of how much movement you get outside of that exercise time.0
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